<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Predators Are Not Monsters by CrimsonNi</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25903708">Predators Are Not Monsters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonNi/pseuds/CrimsonNi'>CrimsonNi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Major and the Phoenix [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Allegory, BAMF Bella Swan, Bella Swan with a Backbone, Bets &amp; Wagers, Brotp, Character Study, Cullen Coven - Freeform, Edward always needs to argue against logic, F/M, Human Bella Swan, Jasper Hale &amp; Bella Swan Friendship, Lion King (1994) References, Movie Night, One Shot, Out of Character Bella Swan, Resolved Argument Prompt Exchange, Thesis, Vampires, Vampires do have souls, simba - Freeform, vampires have no soul</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:42:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25903708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonNi/pseuds/CrimsonNi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Family time with the Cullens result in an age old argument. Bella has a counter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale &amp; Bella Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Major and the Phoenix [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>201</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Predators Are Not Monsters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a quiet Saturday early evening and Bella found herself relaxed, lounging on the sofa within the Cullen home, observing the family attempt to survive a battle of wits. Jasper v. Edward in a game of checkers of all things. Originally it started with just the two of them but the energy spiked quickly when Jasper triple hopped his black pieces over Edward’s red ones and was accused of cheating. Emmett started riling them up, making Alice join in, resulting in Rosalie trying to defend his honor, finally resulting in the patriarch and matriarch needing to step in. Bella was jovial as she watched chaos ensue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was until conversation began; it started similarly to the game, all playful and light, but somewhere along the lines (Bella has no idea how) it trickled into slightly darker territory. Everyone began speaking about entertainment (i.e. movies and music) and the infamous “evil” conversation came about. Edward was a hardcore advocate that vampires were all evil--which, how could he say that considering who his parents are?!--while Alice argued the contrary. Bella could immediately tell that Jasper put his abilities to work to ensure that conversations would not turn volatile, but Edward caught on and demanded he stop. Before it </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> get worse, Bella finally found an opportunity to chime in. While they were play fighting before, she knew as the fragile human, she had to stay her place and keep herself out of harm’s way (more for their sanity than for her own safety), but this conversation topic? She knew where the land mines were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Edward, we’ve been over this before,” she said with resignation. “You’re not soulless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet for some reason, Edward was riled and energized. “Bella, you don’t know what you’re saying!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could have retorted in her usual fashion; reminding Edward that any sentient creature capable of love could not be </span>
  <em>
    <span>soulless</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She could have reminded him that the humans he used to target, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>only humans</span>
  </em>
  <span> he confessed to killing, were rapists and murderers. She could have brought up the fact that admitting he was a monster also meant admitting Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and even Rosalie (okay she was being mentally petty on that one) were monsters too. It was obvious to anyone they weren’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, she looked him dead center of his golden-honey colored eyes and said, “...Lion King.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Alice couldn’t have predicted that odd follow-up. She felt all of their stares weigh on her but it was only Edward’s sight on confusion she cared for at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lion...King?” She nodded. “The Disney movie?” She nodded again. “What does that have to do with anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Right where I want you!</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought with maniacal glee. “Thank you for asking, Mr. Cullen. In my thesis, I will explain the parallels between the Cullen Coven and the Pride of Pride Rock. Starting with the fact that Carlisle </span>
  <em>
    <span>embodies</span>
  </em>
  <span> the morals and ethics of Mufasa, the king--save the voice, no offense--and as any proper parental figure, he makes sure to educate his first born on their way of life. Particularly, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Circle of Life</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Also about how </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Everything the light touches is theirs’</span>
  </em>
  <span> in terms of territory, insinuating that Simba will have the responsibility in the future to keep all lives safe. Which side note, that verbiage sounds awfully familiar when compared to the Cullen Coven considering every location you guys move to, you ensure safety to prevent nomadic predators from going ham on the humans nearby. I digress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Via song and typical G-rated, Disney fashion, Simba is informed about how animals--prey--are important in the food chain because their death turns to fertilizer, which feeds the grass; so on and so forth. The movie depicts this family of lions as the good guys even though the song states that they’re the predators. Even still, Mufasa has a strong and loyal following despite two-thirds of his audience are on the menu--regularly!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bella,” Edward began, still seeming out of sorts. “I don’t understand where you’re going with this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you not watched the movie before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking sheepish, Edward replied with a silent shake of the head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, that’s a major faux pa that needs to be rectified immediately. Until then--SPOILER--there’s a villainous lion, Scar, who stereotypically looks the part; dark mane, scarred face, evil laughter, etcetera.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re trying to convince me--and everyone else--that you’re him, the evil predator. If you saw Scar, he would confirm all of your beliefs about predators and in the movie, he does ruin things for the whole system, friends and foes alike. Except Scar isn’t evil </span>
  <em>
    <span>because</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’s a predatory lion. He’s evil because he betrayed and murdered his brother in the most heartbreaking scene I’ve ever watched in cinematic history!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jasper was kind enough to send a calming wave, although he looked disturbed while doing so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whose his brother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mufasa, did I forget to mention that? It’s in my citations. Anyways, all jokes aside, your argument that a predator automatically equates to a monster makes no sense. In many ecological systems, prey can be predators too and that applies to the human-vampire dynamic. You’re not a monster, Edward, you’re a Simba.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Edward could find a counter, Alice clapped erratically and laughed simultaneously. “That was great! Oh, but why is Carlisle and Edward the only ones in the thesis?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No no, you’re in it too, Alice. You’re Rafiki.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The baboon?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t say in looks! Rafiki is eccentric and very knowledgeable; many rely on him for emotional support, but also because he embodies an awareness for things that the other characters don’t seem to have, maybe save for Mufasa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about me?” Emmett inquired excitedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pumbaa. He’s a jokester and a sweetheart but still a boar. He has a ton of strength and ability that gets underestimated because he goofs around.” That, and if Emmett were still human, she knew he would be someone who found flatulence a core for humor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emmett beamed in response and looked to his mate. “Then that means, babe, you’re Timon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually,” Bella interjected, blushing from embarrassment since Rosalie was already glaring at her. “Rose--Rosalie would be Zazu. He’s a high ranking official in the family that always has their best interest at heart.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>And gets frequently ignored</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Zazu’s personality may be a little louder, but that’s only because he grows frustrated when Simba goes off on his own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And finally, there’s me,” the southern accent drawled. “Who do I play?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blush deepened. However, this was more out of guilt than embarrassment. “Okay, so I know I literally just argued that Scar was evil, and he is, but I’m not saying you are! The thing is, Scar is really smart, clever, and managed to militarize a species that no one else in the movie was even able to talk to. The hyenas are aggressive, violent even, and don’t have structure or leadership. Because they were so wild, Mufasa had to actually ban them from Pride Rock. Yet Scar befriended them and used them to usurp the throne.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, so similarly to my past with the newborns. I could see that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that insensitive of me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m more disturbed with the idea of a lion mating with a baboon.” Bella curled her face in disgust but a small part of her wanted to add that she wouldn’t be surprised if someone created a fan-fiction of such an unrealistic duo. “So, how does Scar meet his end?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does he die?” Jasper pressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t seen it either?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jasper simply shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the fact that he never watched one of Bella’s favorite movies. She was biased, she thought an animated, animal rendition of Hamlet was genius. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then how have you guys been keeping up with the conversation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone with the exception of Esme and Rosalie displayed a smartphone. “We were googling the facts while you argued with Edward,” Alice stated matter of factly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How have none of you seen this movie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s marketed for children; we were born and changed well before the creation of Walt Disney and his designs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair, but we’re going to have a movie night now to change that. Edward needs to be introduced to his lion counterpart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure how I feel being compared to this, ‘Simba’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coincidentally, Simba becomes a vegetarian in the film. I’m telling you, he’s you in an alternate, animal-controlled universe. Let’s go and get the movie and bet that it’ll change your mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A wager?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup! If you admit this movie changed your perception, even a little, you have to play a rematch against Jasper in a game of checkers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you get out of that? And what do I get if this movie doesn’t change my mind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be Jasper’s advisor, you know, since you can’t read my mind. As for your prize? You win, and you get your punishment ended a week early.” She knew he desperately wanted to return to her room at night to cuddle with her. She didn’t even have to wait before he determinately declared a solid </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Deal’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, right, Carlisle? I don’t want to impose too late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlisle, who sat cozily with Esme at the other side of the living room, smiled warmly at Bella. “Of course you can stay. I myself need to see this film and evaluate this unmatched ‘voice’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bella nearly face planted into the couch’s armrest in embarrassment. It was worth it, however, to later be proven correctly and have Edward admit a new insight in predator psychology. It was even better to have Jasper quietly mimic Scar’s inflection, just for fun. They may have similarities, but the difference was stark; Scar had no one to depend or love on him, but Jasper had the whole family. There was no way anyone in the room, cuddling and sitting together in close quarters with blankets and legs thrown over laps, was soulless, let alone a monster.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>What do you think about the parallels? Agree? Disagree? Have other ideas in mind?</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>